You Aren’t a Fraud (Maybe You’re a Writer)

I’m not a fraud and neither are you. You know how I know? Because you found this article.

Unless you’ve subscribed to me and this blog, and unless you’re reading this to support my non-existent income, you’re a writer. You desperately searched “Am I a Writer?” to no avail. You scrolled and scrolled and scrolled searching for some answer to that question. You searched for some validation to that question. And now here you are.

Still searching.

I’ll end your search, for today at least. YES, you are a writer. If you write, if you create content on some sort of regular basis, if you have a product you’re trying to sell (like a book), if you have sold said creative product, if writing is more than a hobby to you or any combination of the above then yes…you are a writer.

And I’m very sorry for that.

I’m sorry because there seems to be an inherent problem here with writers. We don’t have confidence in what we are doing. I have written three books cover to cover. Self-published one and am currently seeking representation on the other two. I’ve written nearly one thousand poems and have two full collections of short stories being polished. But I haven’t been traditionally published and made decent money (because yes, I have made some). So, I’m not a writer.

Nevermind that I spend everyday writing. Nevermind that I treat it as a job. Nevermind that I have canceled plans to finish a day of writing. And oh, please forget that even when I don’t want to, I still write.

Nope. Not a real author. Totally a fraud. 100%.

At this point, you’re either laughing or you’re cringing. Why does this girl, clearly a writer, doubt herself so much? Why can’t she just accept that she is a writer?

One question for you. Why can’t you?

Why can’t you accept yourself for whatever you are?

Aha! The tables have turned! You thought of something just now didn’t you? Artist, author, runner, athlete, car creator, welder, anything, you thought of something just now. Why can’t you accept that you are not a fraud?

Because the world doesn’t like people confident in their passion. Simple as that.

I’ll say it louder for the kids in the back. The world doesn’t like people confident in their passion.

So?

So BE CONFIDENT. No one else can be confident in your ability and your passion but you. There is no excuse great enough for you not to own what you do, who you are, and the dreams you are pursuing. If you climbed a mountain and it wasn’t Everest, would you say you climbed a hill? Of course not! You aren’t going to diminish all that hard work you did. So why do it with other things?

This is very similar to an older article about Tag, the tag along. Right? “I’m an author but I don’t make any money.” There are going to be plenty of people who doubt you and what you do. Why in the world do it for them? Don’t undermine yourself and your ability. Don’t break yourself down when the world is actively trying to do so. Not in writing and not anywhere.

Because it’s everywhere.

And that’s the beauty of this problem. It goes so much farther than just writing. Writers and artists often feel more like a fraud than most. At least I tend to think so. We don’t generate billions of dollars each. Most of us find trivial amounts of success but don’t reap the benefits like all the big author names out there. And we live inside our heads which doesn’t help anything.

But it’s not just us that suffer from the fear of being a fraud in our life. So many people in so many walks of life live in fear and doubt. That fear and doubt hold you back. It makes deadlines loom, feelings of inadequacies swarm inside you, and it makes steady hands shake. Without our confidence in our dream, the dream can’t take off. It can’t fly.

If you don’t own what you’re doing, how do you expect others to respect your endeavor?

You can’t. And here’s the hard part. You have to be confident in it even when it seems like it’s the worst idea in the world. Because doing that makes you honest. It makes you a writer, an artist, whatever it is you’re going after. It feels impossible to be confident while doubting. But it isn’t. So take a deep breath, smile, and accept that your dream is who you are. You can’t outrun it. You can’t shun it forever if you want to see it come to fruition. You can only embrace it, good, bad, and beautiful. It’s scary to accept your dream and all its responsibilities. All its turmoil and pain. Beauty and successes. But it is your dream.

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Published by Nathalie Daux

Preach! It took a while for me to say ‘I’m a writer’ whenever someone asked me what I do. Granted, I now write technical copy for a living so that’s become easier, but it’s what you do now that defines what you are. Great message!